Need Advice Please

Blessthefall · 06-25-2009, 07:04 PM

so i just bought a 1995 ford probe for $400 body is near perfect condition, except the left headlight. has been smashed up so it no longer flips up or down. its permanently up. so i set the headlight in this fixture. and plugged it into the adapter, turned on my headlights.

and the right one fliped up and on and the left one turned on, lows and highs both worked. well what my problem is, is i left the headlight plugged in and turned them off, and left.

this morning i woke up and my battery was dead. why is this new headlight draining my car battery even when it is off? do i need to buy a new headlight?

**octaneman** · 06-26-2009, 05:31 AM

Hi Blessthefall

In order for the battery to drain quickly will depend on the state of the battery when you first bought the car. The battery was may have been old or had an internal short circuit when you bought it since the headlight fixture was "smashed up". Accidented cars may have wires that are exposed or disconnected, there maybe be internal short circuits in exterior motor drives such as wiper motors or in your case the headlight fixture motor. To find out if there is a short , disconnect the positive side of the battery and using a test light, connect the ground clip on the positive battery cable and the test light tip to a good body ground. If there is a short circuit the test light will turn on. If the test light is on or dim, then you will have to go to your fuse box and remove 1 fuse at a time to isolate the circuit.

**pat mcgroin** · 06-26-2009, 07:21 AM

When doing that be sure to pull the fuse going to the radio as it always has power due to the clock and its memory and will give a false reading.

Also Im not sure of that car without seeing a diagram but see if you can disconnect the headlight door motor and keep the light connected. It may be spending the night trying to close the door when mechanically it cant.

**Basementgeek** · 06-26-2009, 02:16 PM

If I remember correctly they also used a relay on each light motor, I would disconnect that also.

BG

Blessthefall · 06-26-2009, 11:53 PM

thank you octane for the help i will do this test as soon as i have time.

pat you make a good point. that could be a problem, but i dont think thats whats going on in my case. because the battery didnt drain at all when my car was off. until i left that right headlight plugged in.

thanks for the help.

06-25-2009, 07:04 PM	#1 (permalink)
Blessthefall Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 4 OS: xp	Need Advice Please so i just bought a 1995 ford probe for $400 body is near perfect condition, except the left headlight. has been smashed up so it no longer flips up or down. its permanently up. so i set the headlight in this fixture. and plugged it into the adapter, turned on my headlights. and the right one fliped up and on and the left one turned on, lows and highs both worked. well what my problem is, is i left the headlight plugged in and turned them off, and left. this morning i woke up and my battery was dead. why is this new headlight draining my car battery even when it is off? do i need to buy a new headlight?

06-26-2009, 05:31 AM	#2 (permalink)
octaneman Mentor Home Support, Gearhead Automotive Center Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 549 OS: WINXP	Re: Need Advice Please Hi Blessthefall In order for the battery to drain quickly will depend on the state of the battery when you first bought the car. The battery was may have been old or had an internal short circuit when you bought it since the headlight fixture was "smashed up". Accidented cars may have wires that are exposed or disconnected, there maybe be internal short circuits in exterior motor drives such as wiper motors or in your case the headlight fixture motor. To find out if there is a short , disconnect the positive side of the battery and using a test light, connect the ground clip on the positive battery cable and the test light tip to a good body ground. If there is a short circuit the test light will turn on. If the test light is on or dim, then you will have to go to your fuse box and remove 1 fuse at a time to isolate the circuit. Last edited by octaneman; 06-26-2009 at 05:43 AM.

06-26-2009, 07:21 AM	#3 (permalink)
pat mcgroin TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2009 Location: Toledo Oh. Posts: 603 OS: XP Professional SP2 Vista Ultimate SP2	Re: Need Advice Please When doing that be sure to pull the fuse going to the radio as it always has power due to the clock and its memory and will give a false reading. Also Im not sure of that car without seeing a diagram but see if you can disconnect the headlight door motor and keep the light connected. It may be spending the night trying to close the door when mechanically it cant.

06-26-2009, 02:16 PM	#4 (permalink)
Basementgeek Moderator, Home Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Central Ohio, USA Posts: 1,500 OS: XP Pro SP2/Vista Ultimate SP2 Blog Entries: 3	Re: Need Advice Please If I remember correctly they also used a relay on each light motor, I would disconnect that also. BG __________________ Donating to the forum keeps TSF free for all. Proud member of ASAP

06-26-2009, 11:53 PM	#5 (permalink)
Blessthefall Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 4 OS: xp	Re: Need Advice Please thank you octane for the help i will do this test as soon as i have time. pat you make a good point. that could be a problem, but i dont think thats whats going on in my case. because the battery didnt drain at all when my car was off. until i left that right headlight plugged in. thanks for the help.